Observer States

Roma originally from Kosovo who sought temporary asylum elsewhere in Europe should not be forced to return there - or elsewhere in Serbia and Montenegro - until the security situation allows, the Assembly's Migration Committee said today. Adopting a draft recommendation proposed by Mats Einarsson (Sweden, UEL), the committee said Roma in the region faced 'a pattern of subtle discrimination on the part of both local population and the local authorities'. Some 1000 Roma have been forcibly returned so far, the majority from Germany, with up to 100,000 more facing forced return.